Manual handling/ musculoskeletal
Handling, lifting and carrying accidents is the largest accident
producing activity in the food industry and represents 30% of all
the accidents reported to HSE. This represents around 1700
acute injuries per year caused by handling and lifting; 60% of the
injuries involve lifting heavy objects. These injuries are
highly costly with personal downtime being on average 20 days and
injury claims in the region of £5000 – £250,000.
The definition of manual handling includes lifting, putting own,
pushing, pulling, carrying, moving or supporting a load by hand or
bodily force. It is not just the weight of the load that can
cause injury: size, shape, the way employees have to carry the
load, available grip, where it has to be moved to, and how often
tasks have to be completed all play a part.
Risks may arise from:
- Repetitive and heavy lifting e.g. stacking/unstacking
containers (such as boxes, crates and sacks
- Bending, twisting e.g. handling drinks containers (such as
delivery of casks, kegs and crates
- Repetitive actions and those activities involving application
of rotational forces e.g. cutting, boning, jointing, trussing and
evisceration (such as meat and poultry)
- Uncomfortable working position e.g. production operations
- Exerting too much force e.g. pushing wheeled racks (such as
oven racks and trolleys of produce)
- Working too long without breaks e.g. packing products (such as
cheese, confectionery and biscuits)
- Adverse working environment e.g. those that are hot, cold and
damp
Failure of employers to act upon reported symptoms of injury
quickly enough.
To prevent musculoskeletal injuries arising from manual handling
activities employers should consider:
- Mechanical handling aids to reduce the likelihood of
injury
- Careful design of processes to improve handling and minimise
need to move heavy loads
- Reducing loads to be pushed, pulled or carried
- Improved training
- Job rotation
- Matching the person to job
- Screening for pre existing back problems
- Introducing an employee rehabilitation programme following
injury.
Refer HSE publications:
Manual handling assessment charts
To assist with manual handling assessments the HSE has made
available a Manual handling assessment chart (MAC) tool. This
was originally developed for HSE inspectors to help high risk
workplace manual handling activities. It is now generally
available and can be used by managers to assess the risks posed by
lifting, carrying and team manual handling activities. It is
designed to help users understand, interpret and categorise the
level of risk of the various known risk factors associated with
manual handling. The tool incorporates a numerical and a
colour coding score system to highlight high risk manual handling
tasks.
Refer HSE publications:
Repetitive tasks on production lines
A common type of musculoskeletal injury (45% of instances of
occupational ill health) is known as work related upper limb
disorder (WRULD). It often arises in food workers
engaged in repetitive tasks and manifests itself as suffering and
pain, numbness or tingling in the hands; aching or shooting pains
up the arms; difficulty in gripping; or swelling over a
joint.
Over prolonged periods of time this can result in chronic
(persistent) musculoskeletal injury including backache, sciatica,
hernias, arthritis, or swelling of the hand, wrist, forearm, elbow
and shoulder problems.
There are a number of steps that can be taken to prevent this
condition arising including:
- Workstation risk assessment
- Job redesign
- Investment in ergonomically sound workstations resulting in
changes to the work area and processes such as adjustable seats and
work tables at the right height
- Allowing new workers a gradual build-up of their work rate
- Rotating jobs to allow for a variety of postures and
activities
- Building short and frequent breaks into the job
- Selecting tools with handles designed to suit the hand.
Refer HSE:
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